History of books
“This book is sacred . You have to , have to keep it safe and take care of it,’’ she said . I nodded gravely and held out my hands to receive the book ( note receive and all the not take)all the while laughing inside my head. Of course I thought she was being slightly silly with the instructions. Hello! I love books. I guard them with my life and get annoyed with people who treat them badly.
The title caught my attention- The Shadow of The Wind. The idea that the wind might have a shadow made me go oh-my-god-that-is-so-cool! And the cover page, it just looked so beautiful. The silhouettes and shading. It looked like a treasure. The blurb begins, “Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the ‘Cemetery of Forgotten Books’, a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles.”
‘Cemetery of Forgotten Books,’ I had another oh-my-god-that-is-so-cool moment. Anyway, so I began reading it and I couldn’t stop. I wanted to devour the book. I was so hooked. After I finished reading it, my mother read it. And another friend read it. The copy I got was an open copy- the readers were allowed to write in it. And of course, I had to give it back. I love, love, loved it so much. I had to have my own copy. I went online and immediately ordered a copy on Flipkart!
There are several favourite lines but if I had to pick one or two, these would be it:
“Every book, every volume you see here has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived it and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs their eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”
AND
“One loves truly, only once in a lifetime. Even if one is unaware of it.”
If you love reading, this is a must-read. If you hate reading, this book will make you fall in love with reading. Either way, you should read this. If you are a writer, this will inspire you to write (the way it inspired me to share its story with y’all).
So go on then, get your hands on a copy of this and read it. Happy reading :)
About Abritti: I’m a dreamer and a photographer .
WRITTEN BY
